Dani Moore of the non-profit N.C. Justice Center said most of these kids already have people to take care of them while they prepare for their day in court.

“Children being placed in North Carolina are overwhelmingly being placed with family members or people that they know well," Moore said. "It's not really a question of people coming into the foster system, being dumped into communities in buses.”

Several counties, including Brunswick and Surry, have passed resolutions asking the federal government not to place child immigrants there.

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Lili Morales is a senior at Northern High School in Durham, N.C. As a part of WUNC's Youth Radio Project, she reports on the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy. Young people who entered the country illegally with their parents are eligible for the program if they are in school -- but they have to renew every two years. It's a stressful process for some.

Governor Pat McCrory says state officials don't have enough information about what he calls unaccompanied children. He says at least 1,200 children have crossed the US border since January and are now placed with sponsors in the state.

State officials are publicly calling on the federal government to help address the issue. McCrory says they don't have details, including how old the children are, where they're staying or if they're safe.

Some local governments in North Carolina are considering resolutions that urge the federal government to stop allowing unaccompanied minors into the country illegally.

Commissioners in Rowan and Brunswick counties have passed such resolutions in recent weeks. They came shortly after Governor Pat McCrory estimated as many as 1,500 children from Central American countries had settled in North Carolina. It's been reported that violence in those countries has forced the children to flee.